Starting many years ago, patents were issued for inventions to dispense medication and/or to indicate the time of day at which medication should be taken. None of these patents, however, provides a reliable device that satisfies the need of persons, especially those who are infirm, who must take medications several times a day.
It is a frequent occurrence that a patient does not properly take his or her medication as prescribed by his or her physician. This is especially true for elderly patients who must take several different medications at various times throughout the day. The problem has been especially serious when the patient has impaired eyesight and/or is confused. The problem manifests itself in various ways, such as (1) failure to take the medication, (2) taking the wrong medication, (3) taking too much of, or too little of, the correct medication, and (4) taking the medication at an incorrect time.
Despite the fact that the aforesaid problem has existed for generations it remains unsolved. The closest approach has been a portable pill container that emits a signal when medication is to be taken. Such a device, while helpful, does not solve the problem. In particular, it does not store several medications in bulk, nor does it indicate to the patient which one of several prescribed medications is to be taken when the signal is given, much less does it signal how much of each medication is to be taken. It also fails to take action in the event that the patient does not heed the signal. It similarly lacks other useful features described in this application.